Linguistics

The course examines the theoretical and methodological tools to understand and analyze human language in its complexity and in its various manifestations, i.e. languages. At first, human language is contextualized within the larger set of semiotic phenomena, and the main models of linguistic and non-linguistic communication will be compared. The course then defines the concept of natural language, within a broader perspective taking into account the world's languages and their variation in time and space, and focuses on the concept of linguistic diversity. The diversity of languages is the background during the middle part of the course, where various levels of linguistic analysis are explained and demonstrated using examples from Italian and other European and non-European languages. The course addresses phonetics, phonology, morphology, vocabulary, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. In light of the different levels of analysis addressed, the course proposes possible typologies and taxonomies with which to organize linguistic diversity, and concludes by discussing the concept of linguistic universals.

The rules of syntax determine which logical possibilities are sentences, while semantics relates to their interpretation. This course begins with an introduction to the philosophical and scientific background for the study of syntax and meaning. Next, fundamental syntactic categories and concepts, and their relationship to semantic notions are explored. Topics including the elements of lexical meaning, phrase structure, syntactic movement, and the computation of sentence meaning are explored within a theoretical context. This course serves as a basis for further specialization in fields including linguistics, philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, and computer science.

This course presents the rules of usage of the Spanish language and specific characteristics of academic writing. It develops skills for analyzing texts, academic writing, production of argumentative essays, utilizing research methods and tools, and critical reflection on normative aspects of the Spanish language.

This course examines syntax and the grammatical and discursive structures of Spanish. Topics include: sentence syntax; noun clauses; relative clauses; adverbial clauses; from sentence syntax to discursive syntax; intersentential syntax-- coordination and adverbial sentences; discursive syntax.

This course examines how we use language to perform our own identities, to recognize others' identity performances, and represent identity behaviors in speech and writing. Students read contemporary research and theory in the fields of sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology to gain the theoretical tools and research methods for describing and analyzing language behaviors linked to identity. Topics to be covered include language ideology, critical race theory, ethnography, and discourse analysis to enable self-reflection about students' own language attitudes and identity practices. Students produce preliminary ethnographically informed research and writing by collecting and examining original data in this domain. They formulate a relevant research question and use one or more of the following methods of data collection and analysis to answer their question: participant observation, sociolinguistic interview, transcription, discourse analysis, and ethnographic writing. Students report on these analyses in spoken and written English appropriate for the fields of study introduced here. Lectures and tutorials are interactive requiring participation in games and game-derived elements as practice-based research for understanding key course concepts.

This course is an introduction to English Semantics, focusing on the meaning of English words and sentences. It examines the key notions and tools required for semantic research, and explores representative theoretical approaches to natural language meaning, including Formal Semantics and Cognitive Semantics.

This course considers in-depth current issues and topics in second language acquisition and learning such as the role of age; learner differences; theoretical perspectives, and the role of instruction. Current views of second language acquisition and learning are considered critically relative to findings of empirical research.  LED102 Principles of Language Learning and Teaching is a prerequisite for this course.